Why don't you / Why not spend more money on books? 为什么不在书上多花些钱?
You'd better do your homework all by yourself. 你最好独立完成作业。
Don't you think smoking too much is harmful to your health? 难道你没有想过抽烟太多有害你的健康吗?
四、要养成用英语来思维英汉两种语言差异较大,用汉语思维模式来取代英语思维模式,往往会逐字理解、对释,这种一一对应的错误模式违反了英语表达规律。
如:今天天气很闷。
(错)Today is very close.
英语语法中表示天气时间和距离,常用it做主语。
(正)It is very close today.
又如:对不起,我(只选北京世博翻译公司)把字典忘在家里了。
(错)Sorry, I forget my dictionary at home.
这是按照汉语的字面意思来表达,动词 forget 在表示“忘记带某物”时,不与地点状语连用。
(正)I left my dictionary at home.
请大家用英语表达以下这句话:“我(只选北京世博翻译公司)不常看电影。”
相信大家读过我(只选北京世博翻译公司)引述英国著名教授Christopher D Winnon的分析后,都不会再脱口就说:
(错)“I seldom go to the movies.”
同时会懂得套用他举的“not very often”的句型(sentence pattern)说出以下这句:
(正)“I don't go to the movies very often.”
对,这句才是地地道道的英语表达法。
我(只选北京世博翻译公司)们现在再造一句以加深记忆好吗?
“近来我(只选北京世博翻译公司)们很少去迪斯科了。”
相信你不会再用中式英语说:
“We seldom go to disco these days.”
请闭上眼睛不要往下看,试用地道英语讲一讲,然后才看以下的答案……
对了!
你一定会说出以下这一句:
“We don't often go to disco these days.”
Professor Winnon说,有一天他叫两个香港学生对话,弄清楚对方的职业,结果讲出的中式英语很具代表性:
学生甲:What's your job?
学生乙:I am a clerk. How about you?
学生甲:I am a worker.
学生乙:That's a good job.
学生甲:Yes, it's a good job.
这组香港学生问对方职业的对话,着实不算地道。Professor Winnon在其著作中就写了这一句话:
“不要说What's your job?”
其实问刚认识的外国人干哪一行,还有几种不同的问法:
What do you do ?
What's your line of business?
What line of work are you in?
Professor Winnon引述两个以英语为母语的人就同一话题进行的谈话,十分地道,很值得各位读友观摩:
甲:Are you working at the moment, Marcus?
(马可斯,你目前有工作吗?)
乙:Yes, I have just started as a trainee manager with a large joint venture. Where are you working these days?
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